May Garden Hints

Tender annuals like impatiens, petunias, marigolds, tomatoes, and so forth can be planted freely now. With careful arrangement and planning, you can increase your yields from your vegetable garden by planting multiple crops. As one crop finishes, replace it with another that can mature before the end of the season.

Watch out for lawn diseases. Red-thread is possible during the cooler parts of the month. If we have temperatures above 90 degrees, look out for brown patch. Treat with Fung-o-nil or other approved fungicide.

Make sure your mower blades are sharp. This will provide your with a cleaner, healthier cut for your lawn. This will also help conserve water, as the grass won't loose as much if the blades are cut cleanly and not torn by the mower.

Now is a great time to plant fruit-bearing plants. Enjoy fresh-picked blueberries, raspberries, grapes, peaches, strawberries, and apples right from your own yard!

Now is the time to prune back your azaleas and rhododendrons as soon as they finish flowering. This will allow you to prune as needed without affecting next year's bloom.

Prune back your early flowering shrubs like forsythias as soon as they finish blooming.

If grubs and moles are a problem in your lawn, treat during earlt May with a good lawn insect control such as Merit. This will control the grubs, which will send the now-hungry moles to your neighbors in search of dinner.